I'm in the same situation, new graduate having a hard time finding at-home work. It seems all the ads are for full-time in-office or they want experience. AHDI recommends joining them and going to local meetings/conferences and meeting people or asking instructors at your school for ideas. I'll try this and see how it goes.

Your school should tell you which companies tend to hire their graduates. Apparently it's true that unless you went to M-tec, Andrews, or Career Step, it's not that easy to start working at home right away. You may need to start in-office or with a mentoring program. People also say you should test with every company that will let you. Before I was hired, I did some research. I'm including the results here:
Some companies that hire new grads-some of them require you to take their test:
www.nemtinc.com/careers.htm NEMT-New England Medical Transcription
www.accustat-mts.com/careers.asp Accustat, Inc.- has mentoring program that pays 4 cpl for new grads
www.medquist.com/ Medquist
www.spheris.com/home.aspx?flash=true Spheris
jobs@qtranscriptions.om Quality Transcription Solutions, LLC (QTS)
www.medwaremt.com/applyonline.html

I am a new MT and am having a dificult time finding employment in the MT field due to lack of experience as well. Any leads on where I can go to get some experience to get started? I have been contacted by Transam a company out of Florida, but am very leary of their report fromt he BBB. Thanks

Transam is a scam. Don't do anything for them. Have you asked you school for help? Put your resume on Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com, and try
www.mtjobs.com/forum.mtstars.com/seeker/Also, have you googled medical transcription/Lincoln or Omaha to find companies in the area or contacted local hospitals or clinics? Starting in-house may be your best chance. Good luck.

I am in the same position. I cannot find any place that doesn't take experienced. I cannot drive so I am looking to work from home. I feel very discouraged because it seems like you have to have experience. I dont know what else to do. I just graduated and am ready to start. I just dont know how.

Has anyone heard anything positive or negative about Ashworth Career School's medical transcription program out of Georgia? I am a stay at home mom, looking into the medical transcription programs-but it seems that there are so many scams. So, I was just wondering if anyone knows for sure that this training school is legit.
Thanks for any input!
-Heather

ColleenCollect in Boston, Massachusetts said: heather, do u have a communitycollege in your area. most offer a medical transcription certificate.

Yes, we have tons of community colleges, but none offer the certificate online. I checked into as many as I could in our own state, before searching the internet for online schools elsewhere. I can only take the classes online, so that narrows my search. Anyway, thanks for your reply!

Heather in Birmingham, Alabama said: Has anyone heard anything positive or negative about Ashworth Career School's medical transcription program out of Georgia? I am a stay at home mom, looking into the medical transcription programs-but it seems that there are so many scams. So, I was just wondering if anyone knows for sure that this training school is legit.
Thanks for any input!
-Heather

I attended Ashworth when it was previously called PCDI. I just graduated in April from there. I thought it was a great school. My friend's mom graduated from there about 8 years ago and has been working for a company called MedQuist. I am still looking for a home-based position. Whatever you do, do not work for Transam Associates, IT IS A SCAM. I fell for it and you never stop training no matter how good you are, you cannot pass their test. I have yet to find 1 person who has and been paid by them. Well hope this helps and if anyone out there hires newbies, I am a hard worker and willing to learn- (personal contact information removed)

I have read and heard a lot about MedQuist. Can anyone tell me if they have tried the on-line course and if so were they successful in finding a job right away? I don't have the money to waste and can't wait long to get a job.

I just took the exam for Medquist. I will let you know how I did. They have you do a multiple choice exam on medical terms, sentence structure and misspelled words. Then you transcribe 4 reports. They will only let you test in one area (acute care, radiology and I can't remember the other 2). The transcription was from actual doctors, because they bleepped out the names and hospitals. It is really tough finding a job. I have 17 years experience as a medical secretary and did transcription in the early 90s for 2 years. I went to Techskills and they only offered one place that was hiring. I know there was 12 of us in the program when I started and so far only one person has been hired by them (Focus Infomatics). Also, if you have a full-time job currently, most of the companies do not want to wait for you to give 2 weeks notice. Anyone else noticed this? Thanks

I went to Careerstep and just graduated with honors, I applied to Medquist, didn't get accepted. I also saw transam was hiring and applied for them, but since it is a scam..... guess I have to keep looking.

Heather in Birmingham, Alabama said: Has anyone heard anything positive or negative about Ashworth Career School's medical transcription program out of Georgia? I am a stay at home mom, looking into the medical transcription programs-but it seems that there are so many scams. So, I was just wondering if anyone knows for sure that this training school is legit.
Thanks for any input!
-Heather

Heather,
I am from the Birmingham area (actually Hueytown) and I went to everette communitycollege. They were wonderful. As long as you keep in contact with them about the process through e-mail. it is a breeze. I just finished and am in the process of job hunting. Wish me luck!

For those who happen to be still searching about how to get their foot in the door, AHDISA presented a webinar not that long ago about this very topic. It's called "Getting Your Foot In The Door: 2 Years Expericence NOT Required" .. It is in the list of available past webinars recordings & powerpoints avaiable to purchase from AHDI. Please flip through the following link to find any of them that interest you because all of the presentations that we put on are more than worth listening to. We have fantastic presenters with valuable information just waiting for you to gain some of the information you have been searching for.

Hi Heather in Birmingham. If Ashworth has a web site, you can see if they are regionally accredited and/or nationally accredited with the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). Although, National Accreditation is better. You can also give them a call to ask that question. I am going through Penn Foster, and they mention it on their home page at the bottom in small print. You can also check the better business bureau (BBC) web site to see if the school is in good standing.

AllisonJ in Funk, Nebraska said: For those who happen to be still searching about how to get their foot in the door, AHDISA presented a webinar not that long ago about this very topic. It's called "Getting Your Foot In The Door: 2 Years Expericence NOT Required" .. It is in the list of available past webinars recordings & powerpoints avaiable to purchase from AHDI. Please flip through the following link to find any of them that interest you because all of the presentations that we put on are more than worth listening to. We have fantastic presenters with valuable information just waiting for you to gain some of the information you have been searching for.

Cat C in West Haven, Connecticut said: Thank you for the information. There are lots of great downloads that you can buy on that web site; however, I can not find the one that you are referring to "Getting your foot in the door".

Cat C,

I apologize; I realized after posting the specific name that no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it there either :(

But in knowing this information is not available there, I will just have to get the presenter to do a repeat performance so that way it will be there. Consider it on my to-do-list of emails for the remainder of this week!

But don't forget there are plenty of current webinars through AHDI that are available every month. I actually have one set up for December about Resume's and will be advertising that one through AHDI, AHDISA, my school, other AHDI Approved schools as well as on my blog: nebraskanmt.blogspot.com as soon as we wrap up the details for the event.

I apologize; I realized after posting the specific name that no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it there either :(

But in knowing this information is not available there, I will just have to get the presenter to do a repeat performance so that way it will be there. Consider it on my to-do-list of emails for the remainder of this week!

But don't forget there are plenty of current webinars through AHDI that are available every month. I actually have one set up for December about Resume's and will be advertising that one through AHDI, AHDISA, my school, other AHDI Approved schools as well as on my blog: nebraskanmt.blogspot.com as soon as we wrap up the details for the event.

Hi I did eventually find the item. I did a search for the title on their web site. Do you have to be a member to attend the webinars?

You don't have to be a member, but being a member does have it's benefits. Non-members pay a little more for the Webinars that have a fee, if you were a member you would receive a slight discount on them as well as discounts through the vendors associated with AHDI. I'm a student member right now and I've probably saved as much as I've paid in for my 2nd year memebership dues as well as all the webinars I've either attended or set-up to attend, plus a couple e-books and the BOS 3rd Ed.

It's worth thinking about anyways. But I'm still going to find the presenter and have her come back at least once next year if not twice because that was a very good Webinar with LOADS of useful information.

You don't have to be a member, but being a member does have it's benefits. Non-members pay a little more for the Webinars that have a fee, if you were a member you would receive a slight discount on them as well as discounts through the vendors associated with AHDI. I'm a student member right now and I've probably saved as much as I've paid in for my 2nd year memebership dues as well as all the webinars I've either attended or set-up to attend, plus a couple e-books and the BOS 3rd Ed.

It's worth thinking about anyways. But I'm still going to find the presenter and have her come back at least once next year if not twice because that was a very good Webinar with LOADS of useful information.

cj in Byron, IL said: I want to become a medical transcriptionist, but most of the want ads I see require 1-2 years experience. Where do I get experience if no one is hiring a recent graduate?

What I did WHILE I attended school was look in the Yellow Pages in my area and called small, local business owners. After about the fifth call, a small business owner allowed me to come to her home and type reports. She was patient, kind, and help me to grown. Now, 14 years later, we are still friends. Don't be afraid to ask for help from locals in your area. You just might find your "Angel" willing to help, simply because we all have been down the road of trying to get there:) Also, I went to Forest Park CommunityCollege and got a degree in transcription. We interned here at St. Mary's Hospital in Clayton. For anyone here in St. Louis, I highly recommend Forest Park College.

I now work for Barnes/Jewish Hospital and am an independent contractor. Don't be afraid to also go to clinics, private practices, etc. I really recommend hospital transcription, though.

Cat C in West Haven, Connecticut said: Oh my gosh! Everyone is making me nervous. I'm almost ready to graduate from Penn Foster. I noticed too that most of the jobs want experience. Hope things will be ok for us.

Hi. I finally found someone else who is going through Penn Foster. Did you graduate yet? Have you found a job? I will finish up school in Feb and after reading everyone's posting, I am starting to get a little nervous.

momof0730 in Atco, New Jersey said: Hi. I finally found someone else who is going through Penn Foster. Did you graduate yet? Have you found a job? I will finish up school in Feb and after reading everyone's posting, I am starting to get a little nervous.

Hi. I didn't finish school yet; I plan to be done in a couple of weeks. I'm putting the finishing touches on my last research paper and then will complete my final exam in the MT class. I can relate to your posting. I looked around on various web sites, and mostly all of the jobs require two or more years of experience. The only advice I can give is to keep on trying and believe in yourself. Don't give up. Something will come along. What class are you in now? Let me know how school is going. Take care.

Lorraine McGuire in Bowling Green, Kentucky said: You can go to www.inscribe.us and look at our company. If you can pass the test...you might have a chance. We have our own online universtiy....mainly because we aren't seeing people with the training necessary to be a transcriptionist. Good Luck..Lorraine

Lorraine. Thank you for the information. I am waiting till I graduate before I apply for a job. My goal is to have my last class completed in a couple of weeks.

catcorso in Meriden, Connecticut said: Hi. I didn't finish school yet; I plan to be done in a couple of weeks. I'm putting the finishing touches on my last research paper and then will complete my final exam in the MT class. I can relate to your posting. I looked around on various web sites, and mostly all of the jobs require two or more years of experience. The only advice I can give is to keep on trying and believe in yourself. Don't give up. Something will come along. What class are you in now? Let me know how school is going. Take care.

Let me know how you do. Good luck to you. I am in Pharmacology now. My husband is from Coventry, CT. near UCONN.

Melissa in Kansas City said: I just took the exam for Medquist. I will let you know how I did. They have you do a multiple choice exam on medical terms, sentence structure and misspelled words. Then you transcribe 4 reports. They will only let you test in one area (acute care, radiology and I can't remember the other 2). The transcription was from actual doctors, because they bleepped out the names and hospitals. It is really tough finding a job. I have 17 years experience as a medical secretary and did transcription in the early 90s for 2 years. I went to Techskills and they only offered one place that was hiring. I know there was 12 of us in the program when I started and so far only one person has been hired by them (Focus Infomatics). Also, if you have a full-time job currently, most of the companies do not want to wait for you to give 2 weeks notice. Anyone else noticed this? Thanks

I have heard to stay away from "Focus Infomatics"... as well as Spheris. I don't know why...

This has not been my experience. I have 3 years of experience, but only in multi-specialty clinic and PT/OT Rehab clinic and I am a Career Step graduate as of 12/2006. I have not had any luck stating I graduated from this school. When they find I have no acute care experience I am not offered a position.

Lori

mtathome in Yorba Linda, California said: It depends on which MT school you attended. MT companies overlook the experience requirement for grads of Andrews, M-Tec, and Career Step.

If you graduate from a school the companies aren't familiar with, you'll have a harder time finding a job.

I have taken the course from At-Home Professions. It is a very good, accredited course. It is designed so that you can work through the course at your own pace. The material is very well put together and the support from the school is great. I graduated in Februrary '09 and unfortunately, the "newbie" status is still with me as I continue my search for employment.
Marty - Erie, PA

Check out the book at store.payloadz.com/go?id=245386 <--it's the Ultimate Transcription Job book and it has over 450 companies, all checked with BBB and lists all their requirements--quite a few of them take newbies.

I already have training in the MT field - I took my education through Everett CommunityCollege with their online Career Step program and graduated in 12/2006. I am not a "newbie" technically since I have been working for 3 years now in this field in clinic work, but I am new to acute care accounts and am looking to gain experience or be allowed to work for a company where I can work into that area. I wish you well in your search for employment and hope that you will find what you are looking for.
Thanks!
Lorlyn